Washing-machine



NJETEHS, PHOTO-UTHDGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D. C.

rUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRA. REYNOLDS, OF REPUBLIC, OHIO.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 16,068, dated November 11, 1856.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA REYNOLDS, of Republic, county of Seneca, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Washing Clothes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification.

The saine letters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

Figure l represents a view in perspective i of my improved machine complete. Fig. 2

is a vertical longitudinal section of the saine. Fig. 3. is a side view of one plunger with its reciprocating pulley detached from the machine, and Fig. t is a perspective View of the selfacting sliding catch.

The nature of my invention consists in constructing washing machines the plungers of which are operated by means of reciprocating pulleys and springs, said plungers being drawn back by these pulleys and when liberated forced rapidly forward with a yielding pressure against the materials being washed by the action of the springs, as described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improved machine for washing clothes, I will proceed to a description of the saine in detail.

In the accompanying drawings A represents the body of the machine, which consists of an oblong or rectangular casing whose bottom is formed into two inclined planes hereinafter referred to. This casing is provided with doors or lids O on its upper side, through which clothes, water, &c., are introduced. In the center of this casing are erected three uprights f, for the support of the driving mechanism. The object of forming the bottom into inclined planes with perpendicular ends is to form the angles more or less acute, into which the water collects and the clothes are deposited.

Z9, are two plungers extending laterally across the entire machine, and are operated by rods or pistons a, a. To the ends of these rods opposite the plungers are secured strong elliptic springs p, p, which return the plungers to their extreme outward stroke, or nearly so, and against the clothes, after the reciprocating pulleys have been liberated from the sliding catches s, s. The lines in red, Fig. 2, represent one plunger drawn back and its spring attached to the end of the piston a, in position previous to its stroke. The springs p, p are secured at their upper ends to a cross bar w, passing through the uprights f. These plungers are so formed that when at the extreme of their stroke they form, together with the casing, a space somewhat in the form of an inverted triangle. The object of extending the upper part of these plungers, as shown in the drawings, is to prevent the clothes from falling over their upperv edges, thus becoming entangled with the plungers, in which case they would be liable to damage by being drawn back and forth with the plungers.

m, m, are two rotating disks secured to shafts e, e, to which motion is imparted by cog wheels r, 1". Upon one of these shafts is also secured a balance wheel B, provided with a winch E, by which the entire mechanism is actuated. At the opposite sides of these disks and upon the same shafts are placed loose hollow pulleys z', i, over which belts Z, Z, pass, these belts being secured to said pulleys at one end, while their opposite ends are attached to the pistons a, a, near the plungers. These pulleys are provided with hubs u, u, over which are placed selfacting sliding catches s, s. These hubs act as supports and regulate the motion of the catches, as also to retain the pulleys in their proper position. To the faces, or forming a part thereof, of these sliding catches, as shown in Fig. t, are secured guide plates o, lv, which operate in notches corresponding thereto formed in the periphery of the disks m, m, and by which guide plates the catches s, s receive a rotating motion. On the inner periphery of the reciprocating pulleys z' a' are formed lugs or projections a, against which the points 0 0f the sliding catches operate.

At the proper points in order to give the plungers their required stroke brakes 7c, 7c are arranged, upon which the inclined ends x of the guide plates o act, so that when the pulleys i, z', carried by the points o of the sliding catches s, shall have revolved suflicient to give the required stroke to the plungers the guide plates fu, o, by the brakes 7c, 7c, are forced to their inward positions, which liberate the pulleys to which the belts are attached, and permitting the plungers to be forced to their extreme outward position by the action of the springs p, p. The sliding catches s, s after liberating the pulleys continue rotating with the disks m, m, assuming by their own gravit-y their outward posi# tions, as seen in Fig. 3, to be in readiness for a repetition of the above operation.

The disks m, m being firmly secured to the shafts e, e, revolve, as shown by arrows, in opposite directions by motion imparted by cog Wheels r, r, secured upon the opposite ends oi: the same shafts, The disks are secured to the shafts in such relation that through the loose or reciprocating pulleys the plungers are alternately drawn back toA their extreme inward positions, and when liberated by the sliding catches s, s, acting against the brakes it, la, the action of the springs p, p forces them to their extreme outward positions with sufficient force to lWashing machines of the reciprocating pulleys a', springs p and plungers b, constructed and operating substantially 1n the manner herein set forth.

IRA REYNOLDS. Witnesses:

S; W. Woon, CLEMT. S, STULL. 

